Euro 2008 Qualifying Group F:It was hitting 11pm on Wednesday and the Northern Ireland team bus was revving up outside the players' entrance at Windsor Park. It was waiting on David Healy, who was being mobbed by Irish supporters.

Some of them were from Killyleagh, Healy's village, and they were standing not far from a mural of George Best, Danny Blanchflower and other Northern Ireland greats. In Irish, Killyleagh translates as Church of the Descendants of Heroes.

In scoring another two audacious goals against Sweden to take Northern Ireland top of Group F, having been seeded sixth at the draw, Healy took his international tally to 29 in 56 appearances. His second on Wednesday, a strike of intuition and technique, was his fifth in two games, his ninth of the campaign.

It leaves Healy top scorer in the European Championship qualifiers and yet, as the 27-year-old headed back to England yesterday morning, it was as a bit-part player at a team, Leeds United, struggling to remain in the Championship.

Hence Dennis Wise turned up in Belfast on Wednesday to see Healy at work in green. The Leeds manager was taken into the home dressingroom afterwards. It is a fierce environment - Healy said some of his team-mates were questioning his inability to get a hat-trick against Sweden having done so against Spain and Liechtenstein - and Wise was berated about his failure to maximise the talent of his Irish phenomenon. It was all done with laughter but Healy is a frustrated footballer domestically, though he is also a modest man.

"Slightly embarrassing" was his response to being asked about the Windsor Park adoration, before tackling the inevitable Leeds questions.

"I spoke to Wisey and he took it all in good humour," Healy said. "He shook my hand and told me I was terrific. He's a young and upcoming manager and is trying the best he can to be a success.

"We are in a dogfight at Leeds. People have been asking him why haven't I been playing for Leeds, but I have. I just haven't scored the goals. Wisey has been fair to me. Hopefully now I'm in a bit of form I'll score some goals to keep Leeds in the Championship."

The job begins tonight against Preston North End, Healy's former club and employers of one David Nugent. Scouts will be watching both, Walter Smith was in Belfast for Rangers and Wise knows: "I don't want to sell David and I'll be fighting with Mr Bates to keep him."

Healy has eight goals in the league for Leeds, from 25 games, though 10 of those have been as a substitute. "He just hasn't had the luck with Leeds," Wise said. "He's been hitting shots like that for us and they've been hitting the bar. He's been playing very well for us but unfortunately he hasn't been scoring the goals for us that he's been scoring at international level."

Healy's generosity towards Leeds and Wise disguises pain from last May's play-off final in particular when this natural goalscorer was left on the bench by Kevin Blackwell until Watford were 2-0 ahead. Under Blackwell Healy was often on the wing.

Wise left Belfast with an improved understanding of Healy's potential. "Tonight you can see David is more of a hold-up striker than one who just runs off his man," he said.

Having begun at Manchester United as a teenager, Healy was sold by Alex Ferguson to Preston for £1.5m six years ago.

Of all the remarkable statistics surrounding Healy, his never having played in the Premiership is as surprising as any.

He was also part of the Northern Ireland team that went 13 games from March 2002 to February 2004 without scoring - Healy broke the drought - and played for 90 minutes when Northern Ireland lost their group opener 3-0 at home to Iceland.

As Healy himself said on Wednesday: "Thinking about those hard times just inspires you. You look back at the dark days and just enjoy everything we have at the moment."

Guardian Service